PSG posts huge loss as French leagues head towards €1bn debt

Paris St Germain lost more than €375m in the most recent Ligue 1 season, as France’s top football divisions reported a deficit of more than €600m for the second year in a row.
Figures released by the National Management Control Department (DNCG), which monitors French clubs’ financial affairs, show a loss of €601m among Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 teams during the 2021-22 season. This was a decrease of 7% compared to the €645m loss in 2020-21.
PSG generated gate receipts of €57.2m within total operating income of €669.6m, up 18% year-on-year. This figure was shadowed by total operating expenses of €1.1bn, leading to a net loss of €368.7m compared to €224.3m in 2020-21. The widening of year-on-year losses came despite the return of fans throughout 2021-22 following the impact of Covid restrictions during the previous season. PSG made just €961,000 from ticket sales in 2021-22.
Olympique Marseille recorded a deficit of €31m, with Bordeaux (-€53m), Lorient (-€2.8m), Metz (-€12m), Monaco (-€187m), Nice (-€59m), Rennes (-€12m), Saint Etienne (-6.8 M€) and Troyes (-€31m) also reporting a loss. All were impacted by the loss of the lucrative MediaPro TV deal during 2020-21, which was worth €3.25bn over four seasons.
Total debt amongst French league teams has almost doubled from €522m in the 2018-19 season to €981m for last season.
“This is obviously not good news,” said DNCG president Jean-Marc Mickeler. “Let’s be clear: without the combined efforts of shareholders, public authorities and the League, French football would have gone bankrupt. This billion is the absolute ceiling. Today, a recovery momentum has begun, which requires an increase in the stable income base.”
Mickeler spoke positively of the fact that around half of the Ligue 1 teams posted a profit during the year.
He said: “These clubs have embarked on a virtuous process to control their cost base, develop their revenues excluding audio-visual rights and reduce their dependence on the sale of players. They demonstrate that they can obtain balanced results with sports performances in line with the investments made.”